Monday, December 5, 2011

Land of Ice (Psychic Powers)

[unlike B/X, Land of Ice does not use the typical Vancian spell system; the following rules replace the normal magic rules and spell lists]

[***EDIT: Upon reflection, I decided the rules as written are a bit too fiddly for my taste...also they skew PC choices in a way I don't like (I want players to always feel there's an option to use their psychic powers, rather than having a "two-strikes-you're-out" rule). As such, I now have a psychic corruption table with mixed effects/disorders, not all of which are terribly debilitating. Yay!***]

Seidhr is the name given to the practice and use of psychic talents, the powers of the mind developed centuries ago by the alfar and the ancestors of the northmen, mainly the vanir. In the current age, these powers are little understood and often regarded with suspicion; those who study the seidhr discipline are viewed as “sorcerers” by many northmen.

Psychic talent is genetically inherited, but unless developed through training it remains little more than a "lucky" or magic talent, one passed along certain bloodlines from parent to child (though sometimes skipping generations). Characters of the magician class are those who have undertaken the training to develop their natural ability; characters with an Intelligence of 14 or better have natural psychic talent that will manifest even without training. Dvergar never possess or develop psychic ability.

In LAND OF ICE, psychic ability is measured in points. Any character with Intelligence greater than 13 has 1 point of psychic ability; magicians and alfar have 1 point per level of experience, in addition to that received from high Intelligence (if applicable). Points are assigned to specific psychic talents (power categories), with more points indicating a higher chance of success. Non-psychic character classes (fighters, huntsmen, skalds, and thieves) are limited in how these points are applied; magicians and alfar are not.

All psychic talents have three levels of power, called stages. To use a psychic ability, the player chooses the stage he is attempting and rolls two dice; the type of dice rolled depends on the number of points assigned to the ability:

Each die is reviewed separately. In order for a psychic ability to take effect, the number on each die must exceed the stage of effect the character is attempting to use. For example, if a character with 2 points in a talent wants to attempt a stage 2 power, the player rolls two six-sided dice and needs to roll a 3 or better on both dice for the power to take effect.

Using the powers of the mind is physically draining to the character: a successful roll does D4-1 points of damage to the character, representing fatigue. If this reduces a character’s hit points below 0, damage is applied to the character’s Constitution, causing nose bleeds, brain hemorrhaging, aneurisms, and stroke.

Failing on a psychic roll does not cause damage to the character, but the character runs the risk of psychic corruption. If the dice roll results in “snake-eyes” (i.e. a double roll of “1”), then the character gains 1 point of corruption (see below).

When a character fails a psychic roll but does NOT roll snake-eyes, the player can choose to gain a point of corruption in order to change the failure to a success. The character takes the usual damage (as if the dice roll had succeeded), and the power succeeds. When exchanging failure for success in this way the stage of the power cannot be higher than the character’s level of experience (for example, a 1st or 2nd level character could not choose corruption to succeed at a stage 3 power).

Psychic Corruption: Harnessing the power of seidhr can be dangerous for the undisciplined mind. Whenever a character gains a point of corruption he must make a saving throw with a target number equal to the character’s total number of corruption points. Failure indicates the psychic must make a roll on the Corruption Table found in Chapter 5: The Encounter.

Non-Psychic Characters

Fighters, Huntsmen, Skalds, and Thieves can possess psychic ability, though ONLY those with an Intelligence of 13 or greater. However, even those characters that do have psychic talent tend to be focused in specific areas, determined by class. This may be due to psychic manifestation being appropriate to temperament (temperament leading to certain classes), or it’s possible that certain bloodlines of psychic talent are drawn to specific classes.

Regardless, each non-psychic class is associated with a specific talent. Only 1 in 6 classes have a different talent than that associated with it; players that wish their character to have a different class must roll D6 (with a 1-5 meaning they get the normal talent) OR receive the DM’s permission to choose a different talent. The natural psychic talents associated with non-psychic classes are:

Alfar and magicians may distribute points to any of the psychic abilities listed below. Every time a psychic character earns an additional level of experience, a new point may be invested in a new psychic talent or an existing one (making the character more proficient in a particular specialty). The following is the complete list of psychic talents available:

Range: Self Only
Stage 1 – For one combat encounter, character receives +2 bonus to melee attacks and +D8 extra hit points; character can fight even after suffering a major wound. These benefits fade when the fight is over.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character receives one extra melee attack per round and adds an additional +D8 extra hit points (total of +2D8).
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character does double damage with successful attacks and adds an additional +D8 extra hit points (total of +3D8).

Animal Empathy (“Beast Ken”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Can “communicate” with unintelligent animals via emotion/feeling. Communication is two-way; check standard reaction roll.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but can compel animal to do simple favors for the character.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but can assume control of animal, controlling its actions and sensing through its senses.

Range: Touch
Stage 1 – Heal character of 2D6 damage
Stage 2 – Cure disease and poison
Stage 3 – Revive a mortally wounded character if used within a few minutes

Emotional Projection (“Enchantment”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can instill emotions/feelings in a target, moving the individual to laughter or tears. Characters of level higher than the psychic are allowed a saving throw to resist. Ability has no affect on unintelligent beasts.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but power can affect all individuals in sight of the psychic.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but can instill intense emotions causing extreme reactions: orgiastic lust, angry rioting, suicidal depression, etc.

Genetic Re-Pattering (“Shifting”)

Range: Self
Stage 1 – Character can alter form to that of a small animal (bird, fish, wolf, etc.) or alter appearance to become uglier or more attractive; effect lasts until character chooses to return to his original form.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can alter form to that of a creature of equal hit dice (or fewer) or alter appearance to that of a specific individual.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can alter form to that of a creature of up to double the character’s level in hit dice.

Mental Obfuscation (“Wraith”)

Range: Self
Stage 1 – By remaining still and quiet, character becomes undetectable (i.e. ignored by those who pass by) as if the character wasn’t even present. Animals are unaffected. Dvergar receive a saving throw to detect the character. Effect lasts until character moves, makes noise.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can move (quietly) amongst people without being detected. Effect lasts until character chooses to end it or until character makes an attack on someone.
Stage 3 – As stage 3, but character can “vanish” from plain sight.

Molecular Agitation (“Pyromancy”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can create small fires, doing 2D4 damage and setting flammables alight (doing additional damage of 2D4 per round until extinguished). Side effects of this power can be exceptionally dangerous, especially when used inside wooden structures.
Stage 2 – Character can create large fires, doing 4D6 damage, ruining metal goods, and causing nearby combustibles to burst into flame.
Stage 3 – Character can create huge fires, setting the air aflame and incinerating most targets (6D8 damage). The character is unaffected by her own flame (except when suffering the effects of corruption), though may be deprived of oxygen if used underground or in closed/cramped spaces.

Probability Tracking (“Divination”)

Range: Self
Stage 1 – Character gains flashes of future occurrence of events that directly the psychic. The future is always in motion, and may be influenced by the characters actions so specific visions may not come to pass (for example, a character may see his own death at the hands of an assassin; though the attack might occur, actual death might not due to knowledge of the attack).
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can see future events that affect friends, loved ones, or even acquaintances.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can see future events that affect places and objects to which the character has a connection, not just people.

Structural Manipulation (“Shaping”)

Range: Touch
Stage 1 – Character can sense and manipulate the molecular structure of solid, inanimate objects, shaping them as desired; items as hard as wood or bone can be manipulated.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can manipulate items as hard as stone.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can manipulate hard metals and alloys.

Telekinesis (“Moving”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can move light objects with the mind alone; used as a weapon, character can do D6 damage (no attack roll necessary).
Stage 2 – As stage 1 but characters can move larger objects (up to the size of a horse), doing up to 2D6 damage if desired.
Stage 3 – As stage 2 but character can move huge objects or crush opponents for 4D6 damage.

Telepathic Manipulation (“Mentalism”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can project his own thoughts, and read the surface thoughts of others. Characters are allowed a saving throw to resist. This ability does not work on unintelligent creatures/animals.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can read a target’s deeper hidden or secret thoughts or access memories in the subject’s subconscious.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can warp and/or erase the subject’s memories, freely tinkering with the target’s mind.